The Tiger and Jaguar tales
by Minnie Haris
Summary: They always have eyes on each other... A compilation of AoKaga one-shots. Themes and ratings may vary. Aomine Daiki x Kagami Taiga
1. Chapter 1: Nearly Matched

**Nearly Matched**

**Disclaimer: Fujimaki Tadatoshi, Miyazaki Hayao**

**(c) minnieharis**

* * *

_The rematch of Kagami and Aomine's one on one that's beyond expectation..._

_._

_._

Aomine walked into the basketball hoop where Kagami was waiting for him. He was dribbling the ball pouting.

"You're late!" He snapped.

"Shut up, Bakagami," Aomine murmured. He brushed his short hair.

Kagami asked him to rematch 1-on-1 for the sake of basketball shoes Aomine gave to him. Aomine refused, said that he won the game that time and he didn't want to play again since it would put a lot of effort facing a guy like Kagami. Yet the dark red haired boy insisted him. He wanted to have a proper match with Aomine.

So there he was, came into the hoop only to have another one on one with Kagami. In the end he couldn't say no. Deep inside his heart he desired to play basketball again with his rival.

"Well, guess I have to play you this once," he shrugged.

Kagami snickered. "I definitely won't lose this time!"

And the match began.

Aomine started. He dribbled the ball. Kagami stretched his hands, on his position to defense. He moved against Kagami. He startled, Aomine used feint and scored one point.

"How come?!" Kagami roared.

Aomine smirked. Kagami took turn. He exhaled as he saw his opponent slothfully guarded him. He dribbled and ran. Aomine easily turned him down.

Kagami tried a few times, but Aomine who was called as a monster in basketball could stop him without putting much effort. It annoyed him.

This time he used Meteor Jump, but apparently because he was in a rush to get point, he miscalculated his control. Aomine jumped, but Kagami butt-headed him.

Kagami and Aomine fell. Kagami was above him, groaned. Aomine grumbled. He looked up and saw Kagami's face was close to his. For a second he was awed by how pretty his rival is. He wasn't even a girl of his type. But since Kagami beat him in Winter Cup, he met a guy who could light his sparks for basketball again. He secretly respected Kagami for that. And though he would never admit it, Aomine admired that guy a little.

Without hesitation, Aomine pursed Kagami's lips with his.

"Aomine!" Kagami jolted. "What did you do?!"

Kagami turned bright red.

"What? You didn't move from falling on me," Aomine said.

"What was that for?!"

Seeing Kagami's reaction makes him wanted to tease him more.

"You're blushing. Aren't you embarrassed?" he grinned. "I got your first kiss, heh?"

"No! That wasn't my first time!" Kagami shouted.

"What?" Aomine was surprised. That was obviously wasn't Kagami's first time got kissed. Alex did that before. Aomine was annoyed. He completely forgot about their one-on-one match.

He walked to Kagami and once and kissed him.

Kagami stuggled, but he wrapped his arms on his hips and moved closer. Aomine fiercely kissed him many times, until Kagami kissed him back. He put his tongue inside Kagami's mouth. Kagami jerked and felt his tongue was twisted and his breathe turned faster. Aomine's leg was between his legs as he pulled Kagami's body closer to him.

Kagami slightly felt dizzy and powerless by Aomine's kisses.

Aomine stopped. Kagami dropped weak.

"Aomine, you bastard…" he muttered with his face was red all over.

"Hmph, you can't even beat me on that," Aomine proudly said. "But for that, I can do it with you many times."

And this time, he totally meant it.


	2. Chapter 2: A Very Long Engagement

_**A Very Long Engagement**_

Kuroko no Basket fanfic ©Fujimaki Tadatoshi

Loosely based on the same French movie title _Un long dimanche de fiançailles _(A Very Long Engagement) starring Audrey Tatou and Gaspard Ulliel. I have never watched the movie before, but I googled it and love the plot. I also love the title. AoKaga, AU The New World. Aomine is the explorer and caught up in a war. Kagami is his lover and waits for his return. I wrote this right away what I have in mind. Yaoi, Romance/Tragedy. Excuse my terrible English, since it is not my native language. I hope you enjoy!

* * *

.

.

_I'm still waiting. Always._

Kagami stood on the edge of the water, scanning the horizon for the ship Aomine rode on. It has been more than a month since his lover left the town. He still remembered the tanned guy was ecstatic to get this opportunity to sail on the new land somewhere across the ocean.

"I will be back in no time," Aomine assured Kagami on his arms, a night before he sailed. He looked so happy. It made Kagami happy, too. They had been going through a lot of difficulties together ever since they secretly became lovers. But they loved each other and decided to live together as roommate.

Aomine was an explorer. Aside from his aloof personality to others, he loved adventures. He was fond of new experience in the new world. He met Kagami when he was travelling around Japan and they shared mutual feelings after a few times meeting. Kagami was an owner of a small ramen shop in town. Aomine came there often. He said Kagami's ramen was the best and it would be nice if he could eat this for the rest of his life.

Kagami took him in. They lived together in Kagami's house near the shop. It was easy for them to get together each day when Aomine went home from his trip. Kagami always welcomed him and made him a bowl of ramen which was Aomine's favorite ramen.

The dark red haired guy would wait for his tanned lover to come back home. Usually it was three or four days trip, the longest was two weeks. Aomine would tell him where he had gone and how long he would stay there. He didn't wrote letters since he said that would put too much effort and Kagami knew he was always lazy to write him back. Even so, he knew Aomine would be alright.

But not this time.

There wasn't any news about Aomine and his crew that had been gone almost two months now. He said he would sail to The New World along with his crew and other explorers. They should have come back at least two weeks ago.

Kagami was worried. He tried to find anything from local news office but got nothing. He was in despair. _What happened to Aomine? Why he hasn't come back yet?_

"Kagami-kun, are you okay?" the light bluenette guy approached him. It was Kuroko. Kuroko was Kagami's best friend and one of a few friends that knew his relationship with Aomine.

"Kuroko," he sighed relieved seeing his friend. "Yes, I'm fine."

"You don't look well," Kuroko looked at Kagami's face. "Did something happen?"

Kagami jolted. He knew he couldn't hide anything away from Kuroko. With heavy sighing, the tall guy told Kuroko what was going on.

.

"So Aomine-kun hasn't come back?"

Kagami nodded faintly. Everytime he heard his lover's name and the fact that he had not return terrified him inside.

"He always come back on time. I usually wait for him patiently. But I don't know. This time I feel more anxious and scared," Kagami sighed.

"Perhaps there's something stopping him from come back on time. You know how chaotic things out there."

Kagami knew exactly how the situation was going. Wars were everywhere and out there, where Aomine went exploring. This time he felt insecure by the thought of Aomine might caught up in a battlefield or something.

"He will come back, right?" Kagami glanced at Kuroko's eyes. "He will come back to me."

"Kagami-kun?" Kuroko was flustered.

"Aomine, he said he would proposed to me," Kagami uttered. "Though we don't know how we could get married, but he would be my spouse, Kuroko. He promised!" Kagami's voice cracked, he almost cried.

"Calm down, Kagami-kun. I understand. I will gather info about Aomine's expedition. I think we can get help from Kise-kun and the others," said Kuroko with soft tone. Looking at how Kuroko wanted to calm him, Kagami once again sighed. He thanked Kuroko before leaving to open his shop. With Kuroko and others' help, Kagami hoped he would find a ray of light of Aomine's condition.

.

.

Another two weeks had passed and still no good news for Kagami. He was getting more anxious. The crimson eyed guy could not work well. He lacked of sleep. Sometimes he would awake gasping because of nightmares. Aomine wasn't there sleeping next to him and he missed the dark bluenette so much.

"I'm sorry, Kagami-kun. It was so hard to get any information about Aomine and the other explorers." Kuroko went to Kagami's shop to check up on him. Kagami replied him with a smile. Kuroko was worrying Kagami's state. He could see his friend's face looked pale, dark circles slightly visible under his eyes.

"Kagami-kun," Kuroko called him, almost whispering. "Have you ever thought of worst scenario?"

Kagami startled. He glanced at Kuroko. "You know, maybe Aomine-kun-"

"Kuroko."

Kagami stopped from seasoning the ramen. He kept silence for a second.

He turned to Kuroko and forced a smile. "I still think he would come back."

It sounded bitter and sad. Kuroko could see from Kagami's smile. But he didn't say anything. He smiled at Kagami. "I think you're right."

And thus, the news hunt continued.

.

.

It took longer than expected.

Kagami counted the days and months, how long his lover had been gone. He dreamed of Aomine most of the time, in cold nights. He remembered his dark blue eyes staring at him, or the way he called his name, or how he would hug him from behind when Kagami slept backing him. Kagami recalled Aomine's smile, his lazy yawn on mornings, his frowning look, his touch, and his husky, soothing voice. There was a time the dark bluenette could annoy him, but mostly he would make him laugh.

He missed Aomine's presence.

Now after several months he was missing, Kagami kept on believing Aomine would soon come back.

It was one morning in autumn. Kagami opened his shop. He was ready to boil the noodles when the newspaper boy came in front of his shop and put his daily newspaper. The tall guy went to the front door and got the newspaper. Usually he would read it later on the day, but he wanted to take a glance about today's news. Kagami read the headline that said wars at the new world. His heart thumped. He carefully read the article about the wars in the new lands.

_"__Wars are happening in certain new lands. Many native people are against the newcomers on their land. They confront people who come to see the new world, killing many foreigners that landed there to explore the foreign land. Some explorers are killed and run away from abduction-"_

Kagami quickly folded the newspaper. He couldn't read the rest of the article. He clenched his fist. _Aomine will come back, he will,_ he thought. But he also couldn't get the news aside. There were wars. Some explorers were killed.

Kagami felt his chest ached. He squeezed his chest and told himself to be strong, but he couldn't. He fell down.

_Aomine. _

_Aomine!_

The thought of losing Aomine possessed Kagami. He silently sobbed there, alone. The faith he always believed in slowly collapsed around him and he could only crying for his missing lover.

_I will still waiting. If that means forever, I will wait for you forever._

.

.

"How's Kagami-cchi?" Kise asked Kuroko.

They were at the shore, along with Kagami who stood near the water.

"He looks okay, but I'm not so sure," Kuroko replied. "He has been waiting here everyday. He will look beyond the sea line."

"It must be hard for him," Kise frowned while seeing Kagami facing the sea. The sun set in front of him. He was bathed in pinkish orangey light all over.

They both watched over the dark red haired guy. He was standing there, just there, waiting for a ship to come.

_I'm here, Aomine._

_You are coming, and I am here._

.

.

.

.

[I almost cried myself when I wrote this...why did this tragic idea came to my mind? But I posted it anyway. Thank you for reading! And I would be happy if you can review this story. Any suggestions are welcome ^^]


	3. Chapter 3: See You Again

_**AoKaga Drabbles Collection**_

_**See You Again**_

**by Minnie Haris**

AU where Aomine is a mountain spirit and Kagami is a human. I got this idea long time ago after seeing _Hotarubi no Mori e_, but never write any story about it. So I put the idea into AoKaga drabbles because why not? Also, to enlighten the mood since I wrote sad ending story last time, I make this one that ends happily. Me wanting the boys get together, too TwT not beta'd, i hope you enjoy the story!

I do not own Kuroko no Basket nor any of the characters.

* * *

.

.

.

Aomine yawned lazily on one of the trees near the shrine. It was the most chilling spot he could find. Summer had been terribly hot lately. The canopy protected his body from the sunlight. The light went through the leaves gaps, shone on his tanned skin. It was a picture perfect of a tall, well-built male spirit of the mountain. Aomine was so beautiful under the sunlight, if only there was someone who could see him. He had been living around the shrine not far from the crowded Tokyo yet distinctly peaceful. Other spirits lived there too, and sometimes they would greet Aomine or played with him. He never had a true friend. The dark blue haired spirit only wandered around the place and did nothing. He had annoying demeanor sometimes, like gazing at female visitors' voluptuous bodies or so. Though he could freely see those girls in a pervert way, he wouldn't do anything naughty. That's how he entertained himself.

Aomine woke up from his nap. He heard a car roared not far from there. There was a visitor. He could sniff new scents from town, perhaps from outside Japan. As a spirit, Aomine could sense human's scent. Each person had certain scent that differentiated them from one another. The young looking spirit sensed some people that had just arrived in Japan this morning. One of the scents was unfamiliar. It was the scent Aomine had never known before. The scent mixed of soap, sweat, tomato sauce, mayonnaise with a hint of sun, and free-spirit. It was so lively made the dark bluenette guy frowned deep.

"Aomine-kun."

Aomine jumped. It was Kuroko Tetsuya who called him, a fellow of mountain spirit. Though he was a spirit but his presence was so poor other spirits hardly sensed him.

"Stop shocking me, Tetsu," Aomine groaned. "But I didn't mean to," Kuroko defended himself.

Aomine sighed. He could never win arguing against the phantom spirit.

"There are visitors," Kuroko said. "You sense them too, right? Maybe they are foreigners."

Aomine shrugged. "I don't know. My 'sexy girls' radar didn't tingle."

The light bluenette spirit put his straight face over his fellow's remark but in his mind he face-palmed.

"Make sure you don't do something stupid, Aomine-kun. I'm going to tell the others."

Aomine snapped while Kuroko had gone. "Damn, he's fast," he murmured.

The male spirit scratched his back head and realized there was someone down there.

A dark red haired little boy was staring at him.

For a second there was a silence moment between them. They only stared at each other. Aomine smelled the rare scent before. It came from the Japanese little boy. He was holding a rubber basketball, wore light cotton shirt, a pair of short pants, and sneakers. The boy was still looking at him with awe.

_Does he see me?_ Aomine thought. He shrugged and gallantly jumped off the tree.

"Whoa!" the little boy beamed.

Aomine turned at him. The rabbit browed boy could see him!

"That's awesome!" he shouted excitedly. "It was high! But you landed perfect!"

The tall spirit was flustered. He almost didn't catch up what he said. The boy looked like he was six years old.

"You can see me?" he questioned. The little boy nodded.

"Can you fly high, Sir?"

Aomine frowned. "Yeah?"

The chubby little boy once again awed. "Cool!"

"Wait, wait, wait!" Aomine interrupted. "How can you see me? You are not supposed to see me!"

"Why?" The boy looked confused.

"Because I'm a mountain spirit. I'm not human."

"Are you a ghost?" carefully the dark red haired boy asked. "But you're not scary. And you have legs."

"No. Not exactly a ghost. I'm umm- I'm human-like entity," Aomine told him.

"Huh?"

Aomine ruffled his short hair. He was annoyed he couldn't give the little boy explanation about him.

The little boy chuckled. "Sir, you're weird!"

"You brat," he muttered. "How could you find me, anyway?"

The little boy shrugged. "I heard voices and saw you on that tree. Are you alien?"

"What? No!" Aomine sighed. "Just think anything you want."

The boy grinned. His mother called him. "See you again, Mister Mountain Spirit!" The little lively boy hopped away.

He came again the next day. Aomine learned that the boy, Kagami Taiga incandescently loved basketball. He was too small for a real ball, but he was happy with the orange rubber ball his parents gave to him. The little boy playfully asked the dark bluenette spirit to play with him, which he responded slothfully. Kagami kept coming to see him for a week. And by that, Aomine learned something about the boy. He came to Japan to see his grandparents. He made friends with Kise and Midorima, which he introduced them to Aomine. But since they couldn't see, Kagami indirectly introduced them.

He was a boy with passion, the opposite light from Aomine. Kagami was a type of human Aomine would avoid because for him it was annoying. And yet, Kagami was always happy to see him, he couldn't help it by following to this boy's pace.

Unfortunately, Kagami only stayed for a week. He had to going back to the States.

"I'll come again, Aomine. In the next holiday, or the year after," Kagami frowned. "I will come to see you again."

Aomine snorted. "You don't have to do that." Kagami frowned deeper. "I cannot come? You don't like me?"

The tall dark bluenette spirit sighed. "Do whatever you want."

Kagami beamed. It was the first time Aomine had someone who desperately wanted to see him again. Though he didn't take the little boy's words seriously, inside he challenged himself to believe would the boy come here again.

Eventually, Kagami would come. It was four years after the first time they met. Kagami was ten. He looked taller and now he played basketball with the real ball. He still smiled like he used to. He still remembered what the tanned mountain spirit liked and disliked. The redhead also met Kuroko, Aomine's fellow spirit.

Aomine found him a little more annoying than he was four years ago. But he knew the boy was still the same. Years and years after, Kagami came on summer holidays. Until at his sixteen birthday he came to see the dark bluenette spirit. He was tall, almost enough to jump as high as Aomine. He grew his hair a bit longer, but still looked neat. Kagami now enrolled high school in Japan and joined basketball team.

"But I feel lonely. Like, there's something missing," he told Aomine. Kagami made his time to see him everytime he could go. Though Aomine never thought of him as a friend, yet he treasured him as someone dearly. A rival he could challenge anytime. Been knowing him since he was six, Aomine secretly wanted to have normal life. To be human like him. But could a mountain spirit wished for a life?

Aomine stretched his hand to touch Kagami, but then he backed off. It was said that if a spirit touched a human, it would disappear into sparkles. All these years he never touched the young man. Now that he grown up, and things had made him sad, he wanted to be the one who comforted him.

"Aomine?" Kagami's voice made him jolted in surprise. The teenage boy looked flustered. He closed his eyes, sighing.

There was a limit for having compassion toward human.

Aomine thought it was enough by staying beside him. That it was okay to see him grew, made friends, and smiling happily when playing basketball. He never asked to get more, he never did. What he wanted was to watch sexy girls came to shrine and slept without nuisance. Why now mattered to him?

One day at dusk Kagami came to shrine with his friends from basketball club to pray for the next match. Aomine spotted him. He laughed and teased each other. _Stop looking so happy without me, idiot,_ he pouted. There was a slight jealousy inside of the tall spirit, whether it was because he wasn't there with Kagami or because the redhead was having fun with anyone but him. He must not got angry nor jealous, it wasn't him. Still, he imagined what it looked like to be a young teenager alongside Kagami.

While his friends were talking and playing around before him, the redhead saw Aomine not far from there. He wanted to say hi, but he forgot he was about to walk down the stairs. He slipped. Aomine stunned, he frantically rushed over Kagami. He grabbed his hand to prevent him from falling.

"Aomine?!"

"Don't look at me while walking, Idiot," Aomine smirked. He started to disappear. Kagami was shocked, he was in Aomine's arms that slowly turned into sparkles.

"What happened?"

"Just stop moving," the dark bluenette whispered. He was disappearing but he finally touched Kagami. He rested his chin on Kagami's head. "This is the last time."

"What? No! Don't go, Aomine!" Kagami shouted.

Aomine held him tight and said his last words: "I love you, _Bakagami_."

Kagami hugged him back before it's too late. He held the sparkles around him when it all gone away. He was left alone. The arms that wrapped him were gone.

_Aomine?_ Kagami agitatedly looked around to see Aomine. He wasn't there.

Kuroko came before his eyes.

"Kuroko?"

"Kagami-kun," Kuroko called in light, soothing voice. "Aomine saved you. But for that, he has disappeared. When a spirit touches human, they will disappear into sparkles."

The red haired boy looked down at his hands. "He's gone…for saving me?"

Kuroko approached him. "I think he did that willingly."

Slowly, Kagami's sight blurred. His tears were dropping. He closed his face with his palms, where some sparkles of Aomine left. Apart from his cockiness and vexing attitude, he always admired the tall dark bluenette spirit. He always cared. He always loved him.

Now that Aomine had gone, Kagami did not have anything he looked forward to.

Kagami had to move on, somehow.

He would, in the long run.

Kagami managed to finish high school and be the most valuable player in his basketball carrier in high school. He did his best, mostly to distract himself from thinking about Aomine. There was a time he would feel lonely when he came to the shrine. He got to see Kuroko, though. Kagami bid farewell to Kuroko because he was going back to United States. He loved basketball, however he always wanted to be a firefighter since he was little and he would make it happen. Kuroko wished him nothing but good luck. He would be happy to see him again when he returned.

It took Kagami ten years to be a professional firefighter and preserved his life again.

He got accepted in Fire Department Office in New York. The training was hard, yet Kagami enjoyed being a firefighter. Along with his division's member they made a group of basketball player to play together in their spare time. He yearned for Aomine sometimes. He embraced his solitude by playing basketball alone at the streetball court near his office. Kagami would imagine he played one-on-one with the tanned man guarded before him. Though it was only his fantasy, he was happy to think about him.

One fine day at spring, he arrived at the office, feeling all happy and excited as usual, his friend from his division called him.

"Kagami, there was someone looking for you."

"Someone?" Kagami frowned.

"Yeah. He said he wanted to challenge to to play one-on-one with him. He was very tall. Maybe as tall as you."

Kagami's heart thumped.

"Oh, he was from Japan, though he had dark blue hair. Do you know him?"

Kagami had left his place. He frenziedly ran outside the office to chase the man his friend talked about. Is it him? Is it him?

The redhead heard dribbling ball at the streetball court not far from his office. He saw a tall, tanned skin man standing there. He knew that posture. He knew that dark blue hair.

Ten years and he still remembered how he looked.

It was the second time Kagami saw him with the long stare of admiration and relief, but this time he assured to not lose him again.

.

.

.

.


End file.
